Reviews and ramblings about children's and young adult literature by an absentminded middle school librarian. I keep my blog to remember what I've read and to celebrate the wonderful world of children's and young adult literature.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted byTynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.I attended a Scholastic Book Summit on Tuesday, July 14 near Boston, Mass. There was a Scholastic Book Fair, of course. Of course, I bought. I was very thrifty though and purchased just ten books even though I was eyeing ten more. I featured them in this Top Ten Tuesday post. You can read about them here.The following day, I stopped in at Blue Bunny Books and Toys before heading to Plymouth. I'm a fan of Peter Reynolds' books and have always wanted to see his book store. It's a lovely, little literary oasis in Dedham, Mass. Do stop by if you're in the area and, do visit the web site. Here's what I picked up there:

Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. 376 p. Candlewick Press, February, 2015. 9780763663230.Publisher synopsis:When forced to choose between staying with her guardian and being with her big brother, Ari chose her big brother. There’s just one problem—Gage doesn’t actually have a place to live.

When Ari’s mother died four years ago, she had two final wishes: that Ari and her older brother, Gage, would stay together always, and that Ari would go to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. So when nineteen-year-old Gage decides he can no longer live with their bossy guardian, Janna, Ari knows she has to go with him. But it’s been two months, and Gage still hasn’t found them an apartment. He and Ari have been "couch surfing," staying with Gage’s friend in a tiny apartment, crashing with Gage’s girlfriend and two roommates, and if necessary, sneaking into a juvenile shelter to escape the cold Maine nights. But all of this jumping around makes it hard for Ari to keep up with her schoolwork, never mind her friendships, and getting into Carter starts to seem impossible. Will Ari be forced to break one of her promises to Mama? Told in an open, authentic voice, this nuanced story of hiding in plain sight may have readers thinking about homelessness in a whole new way.

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt. Illustrated by Ross Collins. 291 p. Viking/ Penguin Group (USA), June, 2015. 9780451471963.Publisher synopsis:TELL THE TRUTH: Have you ever picked your nose? Have you ever picked your nose and eaten it? Have you ever picked your nose, eaten it, and, doing so, opened a portal to a world run by pirates?Mabel Jones has.Mabel is kidnapped and forced to serve aboard The Feroshus Maggot with the strangest crew you’ll ever meet. And the captain—an odious wolf named Idryss Ebenezer Split—won’t let her go until she helps the pirates unlock the treasure they seek. Mabel’s voyage takes her across The Greasy Pole of Certain Death, into the belly of a whale, and underground to a decrepit crypt. And she does it all…in pajamas!Read on if you dare. You are promised a most unlikely adventure.And this bit of whimsy: Sorry for the crooked and dark shot. A corner of the book store is filled with Peter Reynolds' art and tee shirts and books he illustrated. I had trouble choosing.

Frank Einstein and the Brain Turbo by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. Frank Einstein series #3. 192 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, August 25, 2015. 9781419716430. Publisher synopsis:Frank Einstein (kid-genius scientist and inventor) and his best friend Watson, along with Klink (a self-assembled artificial intelligence entity), create the BrainTurbo to power-boost the human body and help their baseball-pitching pal Janegoodall make the team. But when Klank (a mostlyself-assembled and artificial almost intelligence entity) goes missing, they must first rescue their robot pal and stop T. Edison—Frank’s classmate and archrival—from stealing their latest invention and using it against them!

Next up on the road to stardom, Bird's heading out on tour. Between opening for one of the biggest acts in country music and meeting a passionate young photographer who's working as part of the backstage crew, the weeks pass by in an exciting blur. It might even be enough to distract Bird from the way things ended--or never quite started--with Adam Dean.

When the tour wraps, though, it's back to reality. The label is eager for a new hit song, but the sudden fame, complete with a media-fueled rivalry with another country music starlet, has Bird questioning her priorities. Before she can pour her heart into her music, she'll need to figure out where it truly lies.

Filled with sweet country music spirit, Wildflower is a series you just can't get out of your head.

About Me

Hi! I'm a school librarian at a 5 - 8th grade middle school in northern New Jersey. I read children's and YA literature nearly exclusively. It's that good. I try to read across ages and genres, so my blog has no "theme." I read and review fiction and non-fiction at all levels from picture books (one is never too old for picture books) up to young adult, including audiobooks. I can be reached at bkahnlovesbooks(at)gmail(dot)com regarding where to send submissions for review.